Crochet staple



Sept. 14, 1954 F. RICE CROCHET STAPLE Filed April 21, 1952 v INVENTOR. LEo/v E RICE ZZZ BY ATTORNEY Patented Sept. 14, 1954 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CROCHET STAPLE .Leon F. Rice, Hugoton, Kans.

Application AprilZl, 1952, Serial No. 283,284

11 Claims. '1

This invention is concerned with a crochet staple assembly which is employed in making hairpin lace which is sometimes called jmaltese lace; and is particularly concerned with a novel removable head to be placed on the staple .to permit a crochet needle to by-pass the headand a prong of the staple without removing the thread from the needleand without removing the head from the staple.

Some crochet staples employed in the past .for the purpose described in this invention consisted of a staple-like member shapedisimilar .to ,a .hairpin. Such staple was used ,for .the purpose of .a form on which lace is crocheted in the manner similar to that shown in Fig. I.of the drawing attached hereto.

An ordinary crochet needle was employed .and the thread was looped around the prongs of .the hairpin staple and was crocheted together by appropriate number of crochet stitches at the center.

Some staples employed in the past did not have any supporting means for the free ends .of the staple to hold and space them apart and maintain the prongs of the-stapleinparallelrelationship. Therefore, the tension .of the .thread between the prongs of the .staple pulled the prongs together which resulted .in .a lace .of .uneven width.

Another form of staple has been used in the past having a supporting head thereon which slipped over the free ends of thestapletospace the prongs apart.

In making hairpin lace with all forms of hairpin staples it is the practice to turn the staple over each time that it is desired to make a loop around a prong of the staple so that the thread will extend around the prong to the other side of the staple.

In the employment of the old ,type of staple, having a removable head thereon, it was -necessaryto remove thecrochetneedle from the thread each time the staple was turned over to loop the thread around a prong of the staple. This resulted in a great deal o'flost time and motion. In these old type staples there was no arrangement for by-passing the needle between the removable head and the prongs of the staple without removing the head from the staple. If the head was removed, the prongs would spring inward'by reason of the tension of the thread thereabout and thus resultin .laceof uneven width.

My invention provides a removable head for a crochet staple which allows a crochet'needle to pass between'the head and one of the prongs of the staple without removing the head from the staple. This alleviates the necessity of removing the crochet needle from the thread each time the staple is turned over to form a loop around one of the prongs of the crochet staple, and at the same time maintains the prongs in parallel, spaced relationship so as to make lace of uniform width throughout its length.

The primary object of my invention is to pro vide a removable head on a crochet staple, such head having a fork or groove at one end thereof in which one of the prongsof the crochet staple loosely rests for the purpose of allowing the by-- pass of the crochet needle between the fork or groove and the prong.

A further important object of my invention is to provide .a removable head for a crochet staple having an angled leg thereon extending inwardly of the crochet staple, the .inner end of the angled leg having a substantially V-shaped fork, or groove thereon, against which one of the prongs of the staple loosely rests to allow the passage of the crochet needle between the fork and the prong.

A .still ,further object of .my invention is to provide such a removable head for acrochet fork, having ,a leg with a socket therein, such socket being arranged to receive'an end of .one prong of the crochet staple, such prong having a flat surface or surfaces -thereon,.arranged to engage with a coinciding flatsurface or surfaces in the socket to prevent rotation of the head.

,Anotherobject of my invention is to provide a crochet staple with a removable head thereon wherein one of the prongs of the staple is longer than the other prong.

A further object of my invention is to provide a crochet fork with a removable head thereon, one of the prongs resting loosely against the head, such prong being sprung inwardly toward the other prong to maintain engagement between the prong and ,the head.

Other and ,further objects of my invention will be apparent upon reading the detailed specification hereinafter following and by referring to the drawings.

Preferred embodiments of my invention are shown in the drawings, in which Fig. I is a side elevational view of a preferred form of crochet staple employing my invention, showing a section of hairpin lace formed on the staple.

Fig. II is an edge elevational view taken from the right side of Fig. I.

Fig. 1111s an edge elevational view taken from the left side of Fig. I.

Fig. IV is a side elevational view of a modified form of crochet staple employing my invention.

Fig. V is a perspective view of the preferred form of crochet staple employing my invention.

Fig. VI is a fragmentary cross-sectional view taken along the line VIVI of Fig. I.

Fig. VII is an end view partially sectionalized. taken on the line VIIVII of Fig. IV.

Numeral references are employed to designate the various parts in the drawings and like numerals are used to designate like parts through out the various figures of the drawings.

Numeral l indicates the crochet staple em ployed in the preferred form of m invention. It has two substantially parallel prongs 2 and 3, the prong 2 being longer than the prong 3, in the preferred form as shown in Fig. 1, for pur poses hereinafter stated. The prongs 2 and 3 are closed at one end by means of a substantially square end 4.

A removable head 5 is provided for the crochet staple I. In the preferred form, as best shown in Fig. I, the head 5 has a leg-like body portion which is sloped or angled inward as indicated at 6 and has a leg 1 extending inwardly therefrom. The leg I is hollow, forming a socket la therein, in which socket the end 8 of the prong 2 may be removably inserted.

The end 8 has flat surfaces 8a thereon, and the socket la in the leg has coinciding fiat surfaces lb therein to conform to the fiat surfaces 8a and the end 8. Such construction is for the purpose of preventing the head 5 from rotating on the prong 2 when inserted thereon. Preferably the end 8 has a slight friction tight fit in the socket 1a so that pressure will have to be exerted to place the head on the prong 2 and to remove it therefrom. A single flat surface on the end B, coinciding with a flat surface in the socket T a will sufilce to prevent the head 5 from rotating; or the end 8 could be hexed or square to coincide with like surfaces in the socket 1a to accomplish the same purpose.

The body 6 has a fork 9 at its outer end. The fork 9 is preferably V-shaped, as shown, with outwardly and upwardly extending wings 9a. thereon, but it may take the form of a recess or groove in the outer end of body 6 in which the prong 3 loosely rests. When the leg I is inserted on the prong 2, the prong 3 will lie loosely in the fork 9 and the prongs 2 and 3 are spaced in parallel relationship.

The prong 3 of the staple I is preferably sprung slightly inwardly so that such prong 3 will be pressed against the fork 9 and will be centered at the apex of the fork when the head 5 is in place on the staple. The inner surface of the fork 9 is preferably sloped and beveled on its outer edge as indicated at 9b. The beveled surface 9b permits the crochet needle to slide easily underneath the prong 3 when the needle is re" moved for the purpose of turning the crochet staple over to form a loopabout one of the prongs 2 or 3.

The prong 3 is of shorter length than the prong 2 so that when the crochet fork is full of lace and the lace is slipped off, and it is necessary to insert the fork in the end loops of the crochet for the purpose of continuing the strip of crochet, the ends of the prongs may be easily guided into the end loops. That is to say, the longer prong 2 is inserted into an end loop on one side of the crochet and will guide the shorter prong 3 into the end loop on the other side of the crochet.

The head 5 has an inwardly angled body portion thereon so that the fork 9 will engage the 4 shorter prong 3 when the head is inserted thereon. The angled body 6 of the head 5 serves another purpose in that it eliminates the necessity for pulling the thread out so far when the crochet needle is passed between the fork 8 and the prong 3 for the purpose of looping the thread around the prongs 2 or 3.

In operation of the preferred form the leg I is slipped on the prong 2 and the prong 3 is loosely rested in the fork 9, at the center thereof. A crochet needle catches the end of a strand of thread extending between the prongs 2 and 3. The needle is passed between the fork 9 and the leg 3 with the thread still attached to the needle. As the crochet needle slides along the surface 9b it springs the prong 3 outward enough to allow the needle to pass, as indicated by broken lines in Fig. I. After the needle passes, the prong 3 springs back into place in the center of fork 9. The whole crochet staple assembly is turned over, thus looping the thread around one of the prongs 2 or 3, such loop being shown by the numeral It] in Fig. I. A desired number of stitches of crochet are taken in the middle as indicated by the numeral II, and the needle is again passed between the prong 3 and the fork 8 with the thread still attached to the needle. The crochet staple assembly is again turned over to make a loop around the other prong of the crochet fork. The desired number of stitches are again taken as indicated at H and the operation is repeated of slipping the needle between the prong 3 and the fork 9 and so on until staple I is full of crochet.

When the staple is full of crochet the head 5 is removed therefrom and the crochet is slipped from the prongs 2 and 3. The free ends of the prongs 2 and 3 are guided into the end loops such as ID of the crochet, the head 5 is slipped onto the staple and the strip of crochet is continued uninterrupted.

The closed end 4 of the fork is square so that the fork may be completely filled before removing the crochet therefrom.

It is thus seen how hairpin lace may be made with my invention in a continuous operation without the necessity of removing the needle from the thread each time a loop is made around the prong of the crochet staple and without the necessity of removing the head from the staple. The prongs of the staple are held in spaced parallel relationship at all times so that a uniform width of crochet may be made thereon. Lace of this type may be made much faster and better with my invention than has been possible with devices used in the past wherein the spacing head had to be detached from the staple before the crochet needle could be passed into or out of the crochet staple.

A modified form of my invention is shown in Fig. IV wherein the head 12 is attached in the same manner as the head 5 described above. The body portion [3 thereof extends substantially at right angles with the prongs l4 and I5 of the crochet staple I6, the prongs being closed by a. substantially square end [1. The body l3 has a fork 18 at the outer end thereof which is the same in construction and operation as fork 9, described above.

The head [2 has an inwardly extending leg l9 disposed at a substantially right angle to the body, and the end 20 of the prong I4 is removably inserted in a socket in the leg is in the same manner as was described above with reference to the leg I and end 8. In this form the prong I5 is longer than the prong 14 so that the free end of prong l5 extends through, and loosely rests in, the fork la in the manner shown in Fig. VII. The difference in length of the prongs l4 and I5 affords the same advantage as was explained above in reference to the uneven lengths of prongs 2 and 3.

The operation and function of the modified form is alike in all respects to the preferred form described above.

It is understood that other and. further forms of my invention may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A crochet device comprising, a frame having two prongs; an elongated head detachably attached to the free end of one prong at one end of the head; such head having a fork at the other end thereof in which fork the free end of the other prong loosely rests.

2. A crochet device comprising, a frame having two prongs of unequal length; a head detachably attached to the free end of the longer prong; a leg on the head extending inwardly of the frame between the prongs; the free end of the shorter prong being loosely rested against said leg.

3. A crochet device comprising, a frame having two prongs; a head detachably attached to the free end of one of the prongs; said head having a leg thereon extending inwardly of the frame between the prongs; the free end of the other of said prongs being loosely rested against the said leg.

4. A crochet device comprising, a frame having two prongs; an elongated head detachably attached to one prong; the prongs being sprung toward each other to give tension between the head and the other prong; said other prong being normally pressed against the head by spring tension between the prongs, and being free to spring outwardly from the head to allow a needle to pass between the head and the said prong.

5. A crochet device comprising, a frame having two prongs; an elongated head detachably attached at one end of the head to one prong; a recess at the other end of the head; the other prong being loosely rested in the recess and being free to spring away from the recess to allow the bypass of a needle between the head and the said prong.

6. In a crochet device, a staple-like frame member having two prongs; an elongated head member removably joined at one end to the free end of one of the prongs; a recess on the other end of the free head member; the end of the other prong being loosely rested in the recess and being free to spring away from the recess to allow the bypass of a needle between the head and the said prong.

7. A head for a crochet staple frame comprising; a body portion; a leg extending from the body portion; a socket in the leg arranged to receive the free end of a prong of a staple frame; a recess on the body, and spaced from the leg, arranged to loosely receive the free end of another prong of a staple frame.

8. A head for a crochet staple frame comprising; a body portion; a leg extending from the body portion; a socket in the leg arranged to receive the free end of a prong of a staple frame; a fork on the body, and spaced from the leg, arranged to loosely receive the free end of another prong of a staple frame.

9. A crochet device comprising, a staple-like frame having two prongs; a detachable head for the frame; a leg on the head; a socket in the leg arranged to slip over the end of one of the prongs; a body portion on the head; a recess on the body and spaced from the leg, said recess being arranged to loosely receive the other prong; and means to prevent rotation of the head on the frame.

10. A crochet device comprising, a staple-like frame having two prongs; a detachable head for the frame; a leg on the head; a socket in the leg having a flat surface therein and arranged to slip over the end of one of the prongs; the said end of the prong having a flat surface thereon arranged to engage with the flat surface in the socket; a body portion on the head; and

a fork on the body and spaced from the leg, said fork being arranged to receive the other prong.

11. A crochet device comprising a staple-like frame having two prongs of unequal length; a detachable head for the frame; a leg carried by the head having a socket therein arranged to slip over the end of the longer prong of the frame; a flat surface in the socket; the end of the said prong having a flat surface thereon arranged to engage with the flat surface in the socket; a body portion on the head; and a fork on the body and spaced from the leg, said fork being arranged to receive the other prong.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,816,081 Fowler July 28, 1931 2,454,493 Upstill Nov. 23, 1948 2,535,579 Kennedy Dec. 26, 1950 

